


Alive at Last

by CyberFlow



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adoption, Angst, Anxiety, Based on Handplates AU, Body Horror, Family, Handplates, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, but just in case, handplates AU, the body horror isn't too bad and it's not much, zarla-s
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-09
Updated: 2016-02-17
Packaged: 2018-05-19 07:18:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5958544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyberFlow/pseuds/CyberFlow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After months of experiment after experiment, subjects 1-S and 2-P finally manage to get away from the lab. Now, along with their new caretaker, they must figure out how to stay hidden from the Royal Scientist, the smartest man in the Underground. Problem is, she just happens to be one of his subordinates and she knows he will do anything to find them. There's nowhere to run...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Intervention

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! First of all, credits! This fanfic is based on the Handplates AU comics of Tumblr user zarla-s (http://zarla-s.tumblr.com/). They are wonderful angsty comics that will break your heart and repair it with fluff just to break it again. You should definitely go check her blog and comics. Besides, you probably won’t understand what’s happening here if you don’t.  
> Also, trigger warning! This fanfic contains bits of body horror, so if you think you won't be able to stand it, I suggest you go back now.  
> Without further ado, I hope you enjoy!

It was curious to 1-S how he could feel so many reactions in places that weren't technically attached to him. How the empty space in his ribcage would feel heavy or tight on days like this. How each time that the door at the end of the room shut after his brother and _that scientist_ , his soul would fill him with so much sorrow that it seemed the feeling leaked into every space available. It filled his skull. It filled his chest. And he could only shut his eye sockets and cover his head with his hands to try to block the sounds that he knew were to come. He sat in a corner of the cell and rested his head against his knees. It would be his turn soon enough.

One of the worst parts was the silence before it started. It always gave 1-S time to imagine what was about to happen and to device dozens of ways to try to stop it. He didn't know why he still did that. He knew it was pointless. Even though his attack power kept growing, he still couldn't even scratch that man. And so, after he remembered the reasons that prevented him from carrying out those plans, he would start to berate himself for being so weak. For being so frail and being the reason his brother had to endure the worst of it. This time, however, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door sliding open.

At first he thought that the mad man had forgotten something on another part of the lab, but then 1-S realized it hadn't been the door to the room where they were that had open. But if that was the case… 1-S frowned. He tried to get as close as he could to the force field, trying to see the left of the room. Of course, it was just out of his sight. The room he was in was L-shaped, and his cell just happened to be placed in the exact corner where visibility was limited the most. All he could see was the damned door where his brother had been taken to and a couple of filing cabinets. He wouldn't have to deal with curiosity for much though, because soon after, steps resonated on the floor.

"Dr. Gaster?" a voice said. "Are you here?"

1-S froze. Not only had he never heard that voice before, but it was also unlike anything he'd heard. It was higher-pitched than any of the only ones he knew. He wasn't aware voices could sound like that. But that meant someone strange was in the lab… He focused on what the voice had said. _Gaster_. 1-S probably wouldn't know his name if he didn't present himself as 'W. D. Gaster, Royal Scientist' every time he answered the phone. So the stranger was looking for him.

It wasn't long before the trespasser came into view. 1-S found himself staring at them in astonishment. Their face was long, reminding him of the shape of his blasters. What had the scientist called it? A muzzle? Not only that, but their head was also covered in a reddish-orange and white material that looked like the soft strands of a brush. There were pointy things on top of their head that made 1-S wonder if that's what ears looked like in creatures that weren't skeletons. Seven fluffy… appendages (tails, he supposed) moved in a waving manner from their backside. Then he noticed their clothes. They were wearing a white coat that looked exactly as the one he'd come to despise. So they were probably another scientist, huh? Wasn't that just great? Did the man thought it was too exhausting to torture 2-P and 1-S by himself and now he had brought someone to help him? He huffed.

He realized his mistake too late. The sound had drawn the attention of the new scientist, who gasped when they caught sight of him. They quickly approached, but stopped just before reaching the force field. 1-S instinctively backed off to the farthest wall of the cell. He felt them stare at him for a long while, and he saw how different emotions flashed through their eyes. He couldn't manage to identify but one: anger. He felt his magic condensing within him. Would he be able to defend himself against this one? One hit and he'd be dead, and who knows how many it would take to defeat the monster in front of him. The goal probably wasn't to kill him, though. It never had been that way, but he was worried that maybe this new person didn't know how little he could endure. To his surprise, the new scientist's first move was to clear their throat and crouch. They… smiled?

"Hey, there." They said softly. Too softly. Like they didn't want to say anything. "I'm doctor… I-I'm… miss Araday. But, uh, you can just call me by my name."

Miss… Was this what he had heard the doctor refer as a female? He shook his head. No time to ponder on this kind of stuff. He kept watching her carefully. She was being way less formal than Gaster, but she probably just wanted to catch him off guard.

"What is… your name?" she asked.

He chose to be silent. The only two things he'd ever been called were either 1-S, which he hated, or brother, which wasn't even a name. Besides, why would he willingly cooperate with another scientist? Any information she needed, she could just consult that jerk to get it.

"Please, I know you can speak." She tried.

When he remained silent, she sighed. She stood up and gave him a last quick look before turning around. _About time,_ 1-S thought. He really didn't want to have to deal with more than one crazy scientist. But just as he was beginning to relax at the sight of the stranger walking away, a shrilling scream pierced through the air.

No, no, no, no, no. He didn't want to hear it, he didn't want to imagine it. He once again curled himself in a corner. He knew that bastard did it on purpose. He knew Gaster had placed him within earshot. It was to intimidate him into obedience or something. And he hated it. He hated it because it didn't work because of that, but because of the fact that if the doctor did this now, 1-S didn't want to know what he would do to his brother if he rebelled. And the screaming wouldn't stop, and he was so filled with sorrow again that he could practically feel the pain himself. He shut his eyes and tried covering his ears in vain.

"Hey! Listen to me!"

1-S' train of thought was interrupted by her voice. He looked at her, shaking slightly. She had been saying something to him. She was now practically touching the force field trying to get his attention.

"Where is the other one?!"

Other one. His… brother?

"This place is a labyrinth for me, but surely you know how to navigate around here by now, don't you?"

His mind was processing her words slowly. The screaming was too much. He couldn't think.

"Please! I-I can help him! I'll help you both! I can get you out of here!"

 _That_ made him snap to attention. Everything that was happening suddenly clicked in his head. If she was saying what he thought she was saying, all the plans he'd made, all the dreams of escaping, they would come true; he could keep his brother safe. If she wasn't, though… He didn't dare get his hopes up. He would play her game, and as soon as he had his brother back, safe and sound, he would get them both as far as he could of these crazy people. But if he failed… Heck, how much worse could it really get?

…He didn't want the answer to that. No time to think, anyways. The female scientist was backing away, looking at the next door as if it held any of the answers she wanted.

"w-wait." he said, praying for his brother's sake that this wasn't the biggest mistake he would ever make. "i'll… i'll help…"

That was the only answer she needed. She slapped her hand against the device Gaster used to activate and deactivate the force field, doing something out of 1-S' line of sight that made sparks jump out of it. In seconds, the blue rays that formed the barrier were gone.

At first, he was at a loss of what to do. He had never had this freedom of choice or movement. Then he heard the familiar buzzing of a saw, and his feet were carrying him as fast as they could, door through door. He could feel the presence of the stranger following close behind him and he tried to push away the sensation of being chased.

It wasn't long before he could see the pair of doors that were the last obstacle between his brother and him. He stopped in his tracks, though, when he reached for them. There was no more screaming… His hand began to shake badly and beads of sweat started forming on his skull. This was the room where the worst of the procedures happened, and he had never entered it willingly. The image of the doctor with a drill flashed through his mind. He shook his head trying to dismiss it. He wasn't sure he wanted to go in. No. He knew he didn't want to. What he wanted to do was destroy everything in that damned torture chamber and make sure it was erased from existence. He didn't want to see what was going on at that moment. But… he had to. If he didn't take this chance, trap or not, he might never be able to take his brother out of that place. Then… why wouldn't his arm just slam the freaking doors open?!

The feeling of a hand on his shoulder made him flinch. He turned around and swatted her hand away. He didn't like being touched. Only his brother was allowed to be that near to him. She seemed to understand, stepping back to give him space. But she obviously decided she couldn't wait for him to be ready, because she walked around him to open the door herself. 1-S didn't like that. He couldn't let his brother be alone with two of _them_. So he made a last effort and tackled the doors open.

For a moment, everything froze. He could see his brother strapped to that horrible table, a distant look on his face, like he was about to lose consciousness. His ribcage was open, the sternum and some ribs having been cut just enough to forcibly pull them apart and create a slit. The white light of his soul gave the man looming above him an even more terrifying appearance. Gaster had stopped a needle just above 2-P's open ribcage to turn around with an annoyed expression just to paralyze when he noticed the stranger in the lab.

1-S felt fear flooding him. Fear of what might happen next. Fear for his brother. But he also felt extreme hatred towards that stupid scientist. He blocked everything that was impeding him from advancing forward and ran towards the table. He felt the doctor's magic tugging at his soul to keep him still, but it was interrupted.

"DOCTOR GASTER!" came a horrified scream.

"Doctor Araday?! How did you…?"

1-S didn't even try to pay attention to them, their talking and yelling becoming white noise in the background. As soon as he arrived to his brother's side he started calling him.

"h-hey! bro! can you hear me?"

The only response he got was his brother attempting to look at him. 1-S looked at the wound. Damn it. He wasn't sure he'd be able to heal that. 2-P could probably do it in seconds, but 1-S didn't have that ability as developed as him. What was he supposed to do? He shut his eyes. Think, think, think. He tried to recall when similar processes had been applied to him. First things first, aligning the bones. Right, right…

He grabbed both sides of his brother's ribcage and pushed them together to try to close the gap. 2-P flinched and whimpered, wriggling as much as he could against the straps to get away from the pain.

"it's okay! it's okay! it's me! just me!" 1-S tried to calm him down.</p>

In spite of the growing pounding in his head, he managed to place the ribs and sternum into the right position. He focused all his magic on the wound, while maintaining the bones in place. A green light started leaking from it and he knew it was working. But would it be enough for this kind of injury? He soon felt the toll that forcing his magic to this level was taking on him. It would be easier if he could just place both hands on the correct area, but if he did that then the wound would reopen.

Just when he felt his legs were starting to tremble because of the strain, a reddish hand was placed on top of his brother's ribcage. Before he could even protest, a bright light burst out from it, blinding him momentarily. His grasp on his brother tightened, refusing the instinct to let go of him and cover from the light. It was over as quickly as it started, though.

He didn't dare open his eye sockets just yet, but he forced himself to do it when a weak voice reached his ears.

"B-BRO… THER?" 2-P was finally looking at him, and he was smiling as much as his current strength permitted him. The relief was apparent on his face.

"y-yeah. it's me" 1-S tried to return the smile. He glanced at his brother's ribcage. There were still a few cracks here and there, but the bones were mostly rejoined. Good. He quickly went to free him from the straps, fumbling a little before figuring out how to untie them. The moment he was done, he carefully wrapped his arms around him. 2-P moved as he could to lean against 1-S.

"That's it, Gaster." said the female scientist. "They are coming with me."

Both brothers snapped their heads at her with wide eyes. She was getting close to them and all they could do was hold tighter to each other. Gaster quickly caught her forearm to stop her. He was frowning slightly, but his face was firm.

"I am afraid I cannot allow that, doctor Araday." He said, his voice eerily calm.

1-S could see the tension in her face. He was familiar enough with that expression; he could tell she was afraid. The brothers couldn't blame her. Fortunately, she was facing away from Gaster, so the scientist couldn't detect it. She stayed silent for a moment, probably pulling herself together. She yanked her arm away from his grasp and turned around to confront him.

"And _what_ exactly are you going to do to stop me?" she said, "Asgore will definitely not approve of this, and neither will any of your coworkers. And I swear, Gaster, if you come any closer…"

Her tails spread in a fanlike way, sparks and electricity originating from them. She separated her hands from one another forming a bright blue line that, in 1-S' eyes, appeared to crack the air surrounding it. The lights of the room started flashing on and off and the different machines in the room emitted static noises. Soon, the air was filled with trails of electricity and everyone present could feel a dangerous tension forming. 1-S clung to his brother even more. Gaster, meanwhile, just stood there, looking around the room thoughtfully. Finally, he let out a sigh.

"Dr. Araday. Surely you must know I'm smarter than to attack a monster that is surrounded by their element." he said. "Besides, that is some expensive equipment you are messing with, right there. It would be a shame if you were to destroy it with your… abilities."

Araday narrowed her eyes at him. She slowly lowered her hands, but her tails stayed in the same position.

"Then… move." 1-S didn't missed the slight tremble in her voice, and he was sure neither did Gaster. "Go over there and face that wall." She motioned with her head to the wall opposite of the door.

Gaster complied, but he made clear he wasn't in any hurry. He reached for a box of cigarettes on one of the desks behind him, completely ignoring the sparks Araday summoned as a warning, and lit one of them before doing as she demanded. 1-S didn't think the stranger could see it, but the mechanical movements of the Royal Scientist told him that he was containing his anger, which only made him sweat even more. Araday's eyes followed the doctor's every move, same as his followed hers. When she seemed satisfied with the position Gaster had chosen, Araday approached the brothers.1-S instinctively put himself between her and his injured brother.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to need you to move." she told him firmly.

1-S didn't budge. But his stance faltered when he glanced at his brother to know what his opinion about the situation was. The taller skeleton was once again on the brink of unconsciousness, so 1-S would have to make the decision on his own. He looked back to Gaster, whose glances at him sent chills down his spine. 1-S shifted his gaze from one scientist to the other, trying to choose the right option. On one hand, this could be the ticket out of their personal hell, but on the other, it could also be the ticket to something worse. Right now, however, he knew who he wanted to get away from the most. He reluctantly stepped to the side, leaving his brother exposed.

Araday gave him a grateful smile. She then took off her lab coat to wrap 2-P in it.

"Dr. Araday, I'm afraid removing your lab coat inside the facilities goes against the laboratory safety regulations. You might get penalized." Gaster said without bothering to look at them.

She shot him an angry look, but didn't respond. She was too busy trying to find a good way to carry 2-P without hurting him any further. Once he was steady in her arms, she started to back away.1-S made sure to follow closely behind her, since he couldn't see any other option. None of them took their eyes off Gaster as they slowly made their way to the doors. Araday pushed them open with the back of her shoulder. 1-S studied her position and predicted that she planned to make a break for it. He readied himself to do the same. Just as they gave the last steps outside the room and before the doors swung back close, they heard one last statement from Dr. W. D. Gaster.

"1-S, 2-P, Araday… I'll see you soon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all probably figured it out, but just in case you didn’t, Araday is a fox-like monster. I thought that the bros probably didn’t know much about anything outside the lab, so they wouldn’t know what a fox is. Or anything that belongs to other creatures, like fur and tails.  
> Now, I want to say that this is not my personal headcanon of the story of the skelebros nor it is for Gaster, but those comics are so wonderfully made and I loved the characterizations so much that I decided to make a fanfic of them. Because of this, this fanfic will be disconnected from any others I do. (Unless I decide to make a bonus for it or something)  
> Also, I know that I’m working on two other fanfics right now, so don’t worry if you follow those. I won’t stop updating them.  
> Well, I hope you liked it! If you did, please tell me what you think! Constructive criticism is always appreciated!


	2. Home, panicky home

What _the hell_ was she doing?!

 

That had been the only thought in Araday's head as she entered her apartment in a rush, an unconscious skeleton in her arms and a very tired one following her. She had placed the former on her bed, hoping that her emergency treatment had managed to maintain him in a stable condition. She left him for half a minute just to lock doors and windows, meaning to return and complete the healing as soon as possible. She shouldn't have been surprised by the fact that the smaller skeleton had already started the task himself. Shortly after though, he collapsed at his brother's side. Araday made sure to accommodate them both on the bed before pulling the covers over them and exiting the room.

It didn't take much time before she started pacing back and forth in her living room, trying to figure out just what she could do to fix her current situation. Not only had she barged in the private lab that belonged to the _Royal Scientist_ himself, but she had also outright kidnapped the reason he had been shutting himself away in the damn place. But it couldn't be considered kidnapping… right? She was rescuing them! This was the right thing to do, wasn't it? Well, other people might have considered it otherwise if they had seen her exiting the lab as she had. They had been lucky it was one of the nights Gaster stayed unreasonably late and no one else was on their shift.

She still couldn't believe they had made it out of there, though. Araday wasn't a fighter and she knew it. Gaster was probably stronger than her, although she didn't know to what degree. Hadn't it been for her electricity-based powers and the fact the she had taken him by surprise... Well, she honestly didn't know what would have happened. Araday, among many others, had admired the man to no end. He had invented the core, the very reason every monster in the Underground had energy, for crying out loud! She was scared of thinking of him as a threat. What if he went after her? If he had been capable of doing what he had, what would he do the next time they saw each other? She would have to take measures to prevent that from happening. She was in danger! She… she… She couldn't take this.

Araday dropped on her couch, covering her face with her hands. She needed to calm down, but now wasn't the time to take a bath or make tea. She settled for screaming into a cushion, muffling the sound as best as she could to not wake anyone up. Araday let herself just breathe for a couple of moments to clear her mind.

First things first, since work in the actual lab facilities was only half of her job she would be able to quit that part. Yeah, she would not return there whatsoever and risk encountering Gaster. She hadn't been required to give her address to anyone either so he wouldn't find her easily. She could even just call a friend to bring her belongings and to return the lab coat for her, and… The lab coat. The lab coat that she had wrapped one of his test subjects in. The test subjects that were now sleeping in her bedroom. No. She had the wrong order. First things first, she had to figure out what to do with _them_ , not herself.

Araday stood up and went directly to the phone on the little table in the corner. She would call the Royal Line and request to have a talk with King Asgore. She could go to the castle herself, but it would be faster this way. The King never turned down anyone when they asked to have a conversation with him, much less when it was stated that it was something important. Surely he would put an end to whatever madness Gaster had going on in his lab. Just as she was about to hit the last dial, however, a doubt popped in her mind.

What if… Asgore knew? Gaster was the _Royal_ Scientist, so what if Asgore had already approved of what he had been doing? Now, that would be impossible, right? After all, everyone knew Asgore was the kindest, most reliable guy in the kingdom. He certainly wouldn't condone Gaster's behavior. Even so, Araday couldn't deny there was a small unsettling detail about the King. He… did murder a couple of children himself. Admittedly, they were human children, and Araday hadn't blamed him for it, just as anyone else (she wanted to go to the surface too, after all). But, knowing him, it was still such an unlikely thing of him to do so. Would he consider other options if he was presented with them? If Araday told him about what Gaster had done, no doubt he would want to hear the Royal Scientist's side of the story. And if what Gaster had been doing had anything to do with a way to break the barrier, would King Asgore… accept it? Would he prefer this sacrifice instead of waiting for another human to fall? And if it hadn't had anything to do with that, and Gaster insisted that it had, would she be able to prove otherwise? Not only that, but if things turned out in his favor, she would be labeled as a trespasser and a thief. She hung up the phone, trying to consider her options.

She could get some backup! She could get some of her co-workers to help her! Except… she wasn't really acquainted with many of them, and even if she thought she knew them, who was to say they wouldn't think Gaster was in the right? They looked up to him so much. Hell, Araday had thought Gaster was a cool, solitary and kind person, and now she was struggling with the shock of having seen him holding a needle inches away from the soul of a strapped monster. She shuddered. He was extremely influential. Maybe other people already knew about it, and maybe they were helping him with his experiments. She didn't want to imagine how many monsters were desperate enough for freedom that they would be capable of…

Gosh. She was paranoid, but in the end she decided it would be better to stay silent for now. It was too risky to say anything about them. Two lives were on her hands now and they could be the price to pay if she committed the smallest of mistakes.

That was another issue. Knowing what little she knew about the whole situation, she couldn't just ask any monster to take care of the skeletons. That would make whoever accepted a target, and it would be extremely difficult to explain how she suddenly had a pair of teenagers and why she was trying to part from them. Araday sighed. She could barely take care of herself, so how was she supposed to take care of two probably traumatized monsters?!

As Araday felt a headache about to arrive, she considered that a cup of tea maybe wasn't such a bad idea after all.

 

 

 

It was a good thing that many stores in the capital were open 24/7. Araday knew she wouldn't be able to sleep that night, so she decided to go shopping for clothes for her new temporal residents. She wasn't about to have two barely dressed skeletons running around in her apartment. One of them didn't even have a hospital gown with him, since she had intervened mid-operation. She doubted any of her clothes would fit them, so she had no other option than to go look for something. Fortunately, many non-nocturnal monsters only went to shops at such a late hour to get emergency stuff for someone else, so no one would make any questions, especially if she picked a shop she never went to.

She had exited her apartment having locked both her bedroom and the entrance to her apartment (it wouldn't be good if those two wandered outside and got lost in the capital, only for Gaster to find them), praying that they would stay asleep until she returned. Araday still didn't know what kind of magic they had and what they would do if they started freaking out because they were locked in.

She was back two hours later. Araday had bought some extra groceries along with the clothes, hoping that they would last enough days to figure out what to do with the skeletons. She locked the door behind her (she would have to remember doing it from now on) and went to check her room. Araday found them still asleep, clinging to each other. She sighed in relief. Now all she had to do was leave the new clothes there and hope they would know that they were for them. They should have enough space to change. Her bed was placed against the same wall in which the door was and there was nothing between it and the closet on the opposite side of the room, so hopefully it wouldn't feel too claustrophobic. She chose to put them in the middle of the room so that they couldn't miss them.

As soon as she had let go of her purchase though, she heard shuffling and whispers behind her. She resisted the urge to turn around and make them know she had noticed they were awake; instead she tried making sense of what they were saying. No such luck. Everything sounded like gibberish. The room went quiet once again as she walked towards the door, but she stopped before exiting.

"Those, uh, those are for you." she said without looking at them. "Please tell me if you need anything."

She closed the door behind her. Maybe they would feel more comfortable if they had their privacy. They couldn't stay in her room forever though. Araday would have to clear the visits room that she'd been using as storage. Her couch wasn't even good for naps, so she couldn't just make both of them sleep on it. But… what to do? What to do? What was the next step from now?

She settled for just looking at the handwritten notes she'd grabbed in a hurry when leaving Gaster's lab. She sat at the table with a bunch of crumpled papers, expecting to get something –anything- out of them, but she let her head fall to the table with just a glance at them. Of course. She'd forgotten Gaster used those strange symbols. She would have to spend some time deciphering those. He even used magical hands to sign what he wanted to say, because other monsters couldn't understand if he spoke…

Araday frowned. Now that she thought about it, the few times she'd heard him talk, it had sounded a whole lot to what she had just heard the brothers saying. Araday suddenly realized that she had actually understood Gaster back in the lab. He hadn't signed anything, and yet, at that moment, she had easily been able to comprehend what he was telling her. There was also the fact that she'd understood the small skeleton just fine. Why would Gaster teach them how to communicate as the rest of the monsters if he didn't mean for them to come out? She'd had to think this over, before reaching a conclusion to why that was.

She shook her head. That would be another time. She decided to bring her laptop to the table with her to start figuring out what the notes said. Ironically enough, after half an hour, all she could decode were some of the crossed out sentences. What even meant that the little skeleton spoke in comic sans and that the tall one spoke in papyrus?! She sighed. Okay, maybe this wasn't what she was supposed to be doing at the moment. She hadn't slept or had any breakfast and she had to admit that there only was so much she could handle at once.

 

Araday stood up and went to check on the pair. The taller skeleton was still under the covers, but he was now sitting. Good. That meant he hadn't suffered any kind of special damage that only Gaster could repair. The small one was sitting on the carpet, already changed. Araday had gotten him a blue hooded sweatshirt and a pair of grey pants, although by the looks of it she had gotten him clothes one size bigger than supposed. Hopefully, his brother's would fit him well enough.

Both skeletons stiffened when they saw her. Noticing it, she tried her best to put a reassuring smile before speaking.

"Hey, you two." she said, "Umm, are you… hungry? I could bring you some food. If, uh, if you want, that is…"

The two skeletons looked at each other. The taller one seemed a little nervous, looking at his brother with a pleading look. For a moment she thought they were going to refuse, but then the little one sighed and nodded. His brother's face lit up in an instant.

"YES, PLEASE!" He said it with so much energy that it surprised Araday. It almost didn't seem like he'd had his ribs cut through just a few hours ago.

"A-alright then. What would you like to eat, hun?"

"WHAT'S… 'HUN'?" he asked tilting his head to the side.

"I, that's-" Araday didn't even know how to start. "Uh, that's not important right now. I'll explain later. So, what… would you like to eat?"

"ORANGE FLAVOR PLEASE! ALTHOUGH MY BROTHER PREFERS MEAT FLAVOR, SO MAYBE YOU COULD BRING THAT TO HIM."

"Uhh, what… kind of food with orange flavor?" Araday asked a little perplexed. The skeleton looked as confused as her.

"YOU KNOW. THE RECTANGLY BROWN THINGS WITH DIFFERENT FLAVORS THAT COME IN PACKAGES! WE NORMALLY RECEIVED ONE EACH!"

Oh. _Oh._ So Gaster hadn't even bothered to give them real food. He probably gave them some special mix with just the necessary ingredients to keep them in good condition. Did they even know there was more food than just that? She couldn't believe that son of a… human.

"Sorry, I… don't have any of that here." she said scratching the back of her head. "I have different kinds of food. Would you be willing to try something new?"

"WAIT. SO THAT MEANS THAT'S NOT WHAT EVERYONE EATS ALL THE TIME?" he asked, his eye sockets wide. "DOES THAT MEAN THERE ARE MORE DRINKS THAN JUST COFFEE AND WATER, TOO?!"

"Well, yeah- Wait. You drink coffee?"

"NOPE. BUT HE USUALLY HAD A CUP OF IT ON HIS DESK."

Oh. That made sense. Though she was surprised Gaster would actually explain what coffee was.

"So, this is all new to you?" Araday asked. The brothers nodded. "Alright. Then I'll… I'll come for you when the food is ready." She turned to look at the smaller skeleton. "Why don't you help him get dressed in the meanwhile?"

The skeleton didn't respond.

"O-okay. I'll, uh, see you… in a few minutes." she said before exiting the room.

As soon as the door closed behind her, she let herself relax. That hadn't been as bad as she'd expected. Actually, she was very surprised the taller skeleton had been so… accepting. He hadn't been reluctant to talk with her, so maybe it wouldn't be so awkward to be around him. The other one was still very wary, however. Not that she could blame him. Araday would have to be careful not to give him reasons to regard her as a threat.

She took a breath and walked towards the kitchen. She would give them shimmerberry pancakes and a bit of juice. A lot of kids loved those because of the little sparkles they gave, so it should be a good first real breakfast. Besides, it wouldn't take much time to be ready.

When she was finished, she set three plates and glasses on the table, and then she told her guests through the door that the food was ready. But just as she placed a stack of pancakes on the middle of the table, there was a knock on the front door. She nearly toppled the whole table from the surprise.

Araday glanced nervously at the entrance. It couldn't be… Gaster, right? He had no idea where she lived, and even if he did he surely was smarter than just going ahead and knocking on her door. But who could it be that early in the morning? She gulped.

Very slowly, she approached the door. She placed her hand on the knob, but stopped for a moment to spread her tails in an attack position. She couldn't risk being caught by surprise. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door about two inches. She was received with a huge pointy smile from a black-furred sphere, with no visible eyes, that was hovering in front of her using scaly wings. Araday sighed with relief. It was just the landlady. She opened entirely to let her in.

"There you are, Miss Araday!" she said as she fluttered her way in. "I was so worried when you didn't return last night! You weren't even picking up your phone. I thought that maybe you had had an accident in the lab or something."

Araday rolled her eyes. Mrs. Dracotton was a nice landlady, but she tended to panic over the smallest things. On the days she needed to go to the lab, Araday usually arrived way before Mrs. Dracotton went to bed, so she used to greet her on the way to her apartment. Araday hoped she had actually slept when that wasn't the case last night. Sometimes she wondered if Mrs. Dracotton realized her clients were grown adults. …Even though this time she wasn't that far from the truth.

"I really appreciate your concern, Mrs. Dracotton," Araday told her, "but I'm fine. I, uh, just let some work pile up and I had to complete all of it last night. Nothing serious, really.”

"Well, dear, I hope you aren't working yourself too- OH!" She suddenly exclaimed. "I didn't know you had visits!"

"V-visits?!"

Araday immediately turned around to where Mrs. Dracotton was looking at. Right beside the couch was the little skeleton, staring at the landlady like she was the strangest thing he'd ever seen.

"W-what are you doing here?" Araday asked him.

That seemed to snap him out of it, because he quickly looked at her and raised an 'eyebrow'.

"we're hungry. you said the food was ready…"

"What? Oh! Oh yeah! It's… on the table. Just, just grab as much as you want."

The little monster shrugged and headed towards the table.

"'We'? There's another one?" Mrs. Dracotton asked.

Oh shoot. She wasn't supposed to see them. If word got out that there were a pair of skeletons in the building, and specifically that they were staying with her, Gaster would no doubt be the next knocking on her door.

"W-well, yes. Just one more though! I'm… really sorry. I should have told you someone was coming to stay and…"

"Stay? Are you taking care of them for a friend, dear? If you are I would like to have their parents' phone number. I don't want to intrude, but you can never be too sure with young monsters-"

"N-no!" Araday blurted out, "It's not like that!"

Damn it! There was no way she would be able to give Mrs. Dracotton any kind of information. And the only other skeleton she knew was the same man she was trying to get away from. This was bad. This was so, so bad. She had to come up with something quick.

"What do you mean? They're not yours… are they?"

"N-not exactly. It's just I, uh…"

"You…?"

"I-I… adopted… them."

Araday mentally slapped herself. That seriously had been the best thing she could come up with.

"Oh. My. God." Mrs. Dracotton almost dropped to the floor because her wings stopped flapping for a second. "But Miss Araday! Weren't you the one to tell me that you didn't want any children?"

Stupid casual conversations.

"Well, I-I didn't, but... L-look, it's just something that happened. I didn't actually planned it, I- "

"Oh! Say no more!" she said, fluttering in circles around Araday, "You couldn't resist the impulse to help them in their hour of need, so you took it upon yourself to take them somewhere safe. Oh, the poor things! I wonder what horrible fate fell upon their parents for them to need someone to adopt them. And then! Then you couldn't resist their cuteness and decided that _you_ wanted to take care of them! I can't blame you, Miss Araday. Little monsters tend to just get out one's parental instincts! I remember one time, when-"

Okay. Now Araday was sure that Mrs. Dracotton was watching too much of that new popular star. Mettaton, she believed.

"W-well, that's not exactly how it happened." She interrupted her. But the landlady was already set in the idea, and it would take too much time to convince her otherwise. Maybe she could use that in her favor, though. "Say, Mrs. Dracotton, can I ask a favor?"

"Of course, my dear! Whatever you need!"

"Umm, you see. Those two have gone through some rough…days, and I think they'd feel, uh, safer if, for now, we kept it a secret that they are here? Could you avoid mentioning them to the other residents, please?"

Mrs. Dracotton seemed to ponder it for a little, but in the end she gave her a toothy grin and nodded.

"At the very least can I know the name of the little one?" she said.

"H-his… name?" Shoot. Shoot. Shoot! She didn't think he had one!

"Yes, yes! In case we saw each other again and I needed to talk to him in your behalf!"

Shoot. She needed to think. She needed time. She needed a distraction. She remembered there was a big glass jar with flowers on the floor right behind her. Without thinking twice, she pretended to absentmindedly move backwards, and tipped it over with the back of her shoe. Mrs. Dracotton tried in vain to warn her, and they both watched as it collided with the floor and shattered in dozens of pieces. Damn it! She was just trying to spill the water in it, not break it! She sighed. She guessed it had worked all the same.

"Oh, goodness!" Araday said. "I can't believe how careless I get sometimes. Seriously, it's ridiculous. Please excuse me for a moment. I need to clean this up."

She didn't even let Mrs. Dracotton answer before she hurried to the visits room to achieve the slowest retrieval of a mop and a broom in all history. Okay, now she needed to think. Names. She knew Gaster had labeled the small one as 1-S. She narrowed her options to names that started with S. …S. S. S. She couldn't think of anything!

"Miss Araday?" called Mrs. Dracotton from the living room. "Why don't you tell me his name while you are there?"

Ughhh. She wasn't going to leave without a name, was she?

"U-uh, sorry! I didn't quite catch that!" Araday lied.

Suddenly, as she was stepping over a couple of boxes to return to the living room, something fell out of her pocket. It was one of Gaster's crumpled notes. She quickly opened it, begging that it would give her any ideas. She saw the crossed out sections. Comic sans. Sans started with S. That was not a name! That was-

"I said," Mrs. Dracotton's voice made her panic when she realized that she had already returned to the living room. "that while you are cleaning, why don't you tell me the little one's name?"

"I, that's…" Araday wanted to slam her head against the wall for what she was about to say. "He's… Sans."

She wondered if King Asgore would be proud of her naming skills…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! I hope this chapter's length doesn't bother any of you. I considered breaking it in two shorter chapters, but since this was all from Araday's perspective I decided to keep it as only one. Don't worry if you don't usually have time to read 4000+ words, I don't think the next chapters will be as long as this one. (Or at least I hope so.)
> 
> Well, if you liked it, please review and tell me what you think! Constructive criticism is always appreciated!
> 
> Next chapter: we get to see Paps thoughts in all of this!


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